Understanding Data Files

The registry entries in the PC-DMIS Settings Editor application store most of the settings in PC-DMIS. However, PC-DMIS also stores information in data files, which have a .dat extension.

You can edit some of these files in a text editor, but you can only edit many of them within PC-DMIS. You can delete some data files if you want to return the respective PC-DMIS functionality to its original state.

The information below details many of the data files that are available, their file locations, whether you can edit them in a text editor, and where they're stored on the computer. In the descriptions of the file locations, <user name> is the name that you use to log on to Windows.

Manually moving or copying a data file to a different version of PC-DMIS is not recommended or supported.

For more information about file locations, see "Understanding File Locations".

colors.dat

This file stores your modified Edit window colors. PC-DMIS generates this file only if you modified any Edit window colors. When you exit PC-DMIS, it creates this file.

You cannot edit this file in a text editor.

If you delete this file, your Edit window colors revert to their default settings.

For information about defining colors, see "Defining Edit Window Colors" in the "Setting Your Preferences" chapter.

CustomMenuItem.dat

This file contains information for the default items and user-defined items in the User Defined Commands list on the Menu tab in the Customize dialog box (View | Toolbars | Customize).

You cannot edit this file in a text editor.

If you delete both CustomMenuItem.dat and toolbar.dat, PC-DMIS removes any user-defined customizations made in the Customize dialog box and any custom toolbars. PC-DMIS regenerates custom items if you load a toolbar.dat file that has custom items.

For more information, see "Customizing the User Interface" in the "Navigating the User Interface" chapter.

DefaultDimensionColors.dat

PC-DMIS automatically creates and modifies this file whenever you modify the Edit Dimension Color dialog box (Edit | Graphic Display Window | Dimension Color).

This file contains dimension color information that:

• Defines the dimension's color limits

• Determines whether tolerance colors display in two directions

• Defines the colors that PC-DMIS uses for dimensions that are still within tolerance with percentages from 1 to 40

• Defines the color that displays when a dimension is out of tolerance with a negative value

• Defines the color that displays when a dimension is out of tolerance with a positive value

• Determines whether PC-DMIS displays tolerances as a percentage of the deviation in the Dimension Colors window (color bar)

You cannot edit this file in a text editor.

elogo.dat *

This file controls the format of the Edit window's footer on the last page.

You can edit this file in a text editor.

DO NOT DELETE THIS FILE. If you delete this file, PC-DMIS erases the footer from the last page of the Edit window.

For more information, see "Modifying the Edit Window's Headers and Footers" in the "Using the Edit Window" chapter.

executebarstate.dat

This file contains the layouts of toolbars and dockable windows during measurement routine execution. PC-DMIS switches back and forth when it reloads these two files (gbarstate.dat and executebarstate.dat) and when you start and finish measurement routine execution.

You cannot edit this file in a text editor.

If you delete this file, PC-DMIS restores a default layout.

gbarstate.dat

This file contains the layouts of toolbars and dockable windows within the measurement routine (but not during execution).

You cannot edit this file in a text editor.

If you delete this file, PC-DMIS restores the default layout.

header.dat *

This file controls the format of the Edit window's header on all pages but the first page.

You can edit this file in a text editor.

DO NOT DELETE THIS FILE. If you delete this file, PC-DMIS erases the header from the affected pages of the Edit window.

For more information, see "Modifying the Edit Window's Headers and Footers" in the "Using the Edit Window" chapter.

illumination.dat

This file is used for Vision machines. It stores the defined illumination quick sets. Illumination quick sets contain information about the machines lamps, which bulbs are on, and their brightness.

You cannot edit this file in a text editor.

If you delete this file, any custom quick sets are lost, although PC-DMIS recreates this file with a few default quick sets.

layout#.dat

These files store information about a specific layout stored on the Window Layouts toolbar. There is one file for each stored layout, similar to the gbarstate.dat file. PC-DMIS automatically increments "#" for each new layout.

You cannot edit these files in a text editor.

If you delete a specific layout#.dat file, PC-DMIS removes the related layout button from the Window Layouts toolbar.

For more information, see "Window Layouts Toolbar" in the "Using Toolbars" chapter.

layouttoolbar.dat

This file contains a list of layouts when you use the Window Layouts toolbar to save a layout.

You cannot edit this file in a text editor.

If you delete this file, PC-DMIS removes your layouts from the Window Layouts toolbar.

LIGHTINGMATERIALS.DAT

This file defines the relative path to the default system-defined lighting and materials settings in default.txt. This appears as DEFAULT on the Archive tab in the CAD and Graphic Setup dialog box (Edit | Graphic Display Window | Lighting, Materials). Note that default.txt is not human readable.

The comments at the beginning of this file explain the file's format. In the file, the characters "L", "M", and "U" specify the list in which each item appears ("L" for Lighting, "M" for Material, and "U" for User Recall).

You can edit this file in a text editor.

DO NOT DELETE THIS FILE. If you delete this file, it causes the CAD and Graphic Setup dialog box to not know anything about the lighting or material files. You would then need to manually recreate the file or reinstall PC-DMIS.

logo.dat *

This file controls the format of the Edit window's header on the first page.

You can edit this file in a text editor.

DO NOT DELETE THIS FILE. If you delete this file, PC-DMIS erases the header from the first page of the Edit window.

For more information, see "Modifying the Edit Window's Headers and Footers" in the "Using the Edit Window" chapter.

MACHINE.DAT *

This file defines virtual machine definitions. Virtual machines are animated in the Graphic Display window as a representation of the real machine.

DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE. Instead, use the usermachine.dat file to customize MACHINE.DAT entries.

DO NOT DELETE THIS FILE. If you delete this file, the machine models become unavailable.

menu_<language>.dat

This file stores customized menus for the user. In the file name, <language> is the three-letter language code for the language you use to display PC-DMIS.

You cannot edit this file in a text editor.

If you delete this file, PC-DMIS removes any customized menus.

MessageBoxOptions.dat

This file stores a list of the warning messages that you have turned off.

You cannot edit this file in a text editor.

If you delete this file, all warning messages reappear.

PROBE.DAT *

This file defines the components that are available in PC-DMIS when you use the Probe Utilities dialog box (Insert | Hardware Definition | Probe) to create a probe assembly.

DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE. Instead, use the usrprobe.dat file to create or display customized probe hardware.

DO NOT DELETE THIS FILE. If you delete this file, those components become unavailable.

PROBECHANGER.DAT

This file defines virtual probe changer definitions. Virtual probe changers are animated in the Graphic Display window and appear within the volume space for collision detection. It is a representation of the actual probe changer.

DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE. Use the tools that PC-DMIS provides to define your animated probe changer.

DO NOT DELETE THIS FILE. If you delete this file, the probe changer models are unavailable.

QUICKFIX.DAT *

This file displays all of the quick fixture items that are available to add into the Graphic Display window.

You can edit this file in a text editor.

DO NOT DELETE THIS FILE. If you delete this file, PC-DMIS erases the library of quick-fixture items that are available, which makes it impossible to work with these files.

ReportingToolbar.dat

This file contains a list of the saved report templates and custom reports on the Reporting toolbar.

You cannot edit this file in a text editor.

If you delete this file, PC-DMIS removes any saved items from the Reporting toolbar.

TablesOnly.dat

This file defines the available virtual tables. It contains a list of tables and defines each table's width, length, and height, separated by commas. The values are in millimeters.

You can edit this file in a text editor.

To edit this value and show the virtual table, see "Defining Machines" in the "Defining Hardware" chapter.

TemplRepPickerList.dat

This file contains a list of the report templates that you added to the Report Templates dialog box. To open the dialog box, click the Template Selection icon on the Report toolbar in the Report window (View | Report Window).

You can edit this file in a text editor.

If you delete this file, PC-DMIS removes those templates from the Report Templates dialog box, but it does not delete the actual report templates.

tool.dat

This file defines the required calibration artifiacts when you want to calibrate a probe.

You cannot edit this file in a text editor.

toolbar.dat

This file contains all of the customized toolbars definitions (buttons) and names. PC-DMIS creates this file when you customize or create any toolbars.

You cannot edit this file in a text editor.

If you delete this file, PC-DMIS removes any customized toolbars.

UserLightingMaterials.dat *

PC-DMIS automatically creates this file whenever you use the Archive tab in the CAD and Graphic Setup dialog box (Edit | Graphic Display Window | Lighting, Materials) to save a custom user configuration of lighting and material settings. As with the LIGHTINGMATERIALS.DAT file, it defines relative paths to any custom configuration settings files that you saved.

You can edit this file in a text editor.

usermachine.dat

This file defines custom animated machines. You can also copy machines (listed as items) from MACHINE.DAT, paste the information into this file, and customize the machines either directly inside the file or from the Load Virtual Machine dialog box (Insert | Hardware Definition | Machine). Whenever you access that dialog box later, PC-DMIS reads this file in addition to the MACHINE.DAT file when it displays the available machines.

If you delete this file, PC-DMIS removes any custom machines.

For more information, see "Editing the usermachine.dat Data File" in the "Defining Hardware" chapter.

usrprobe.dat *

You must manually create this file. You can then copy the probe information from PROBE.DAT, paste it into this file, and customize that information as needed. PC-DMIS then reads both this file and the PROBE.DAT file when it displays probes in the Probe Utilities dialog box (Insert | Hardware Definition | Probe).

If you delete this file, PC-DMIS removes customized probe information.

userquickfix.dat

This file defines the custom quick fixtures in the Available fixtures list in the Quick Fixture dialog box (Insert | Hardware Definition | Quick Fixture). You can also copy fixtures (listed as items) from QUICKFIX.DAT and paste the information into this file. You can then customize them directly inside the file, or you can use the Quick Fixture dialog box to create new custom fixtures. Whenever you access that dialog box later, PC-DMIS reads this file and the QUICKFIX.DAT file when it displays the available fixtures.

If you delete this file, PC-DMIS removes any custom fixtures.